Fudge Cupcake Murder

talking to Ted and left.

    Quickly, Hannah wiggled out of her bomber jacket. She'd drop it right on Mike. Then, when he looked up to find out where it had come from, he'd see her leaning out the window. Hannah poked the jacket through the window, gave a little prayer for gravity to do its thing, and dropped it. It was perfect. It was going to fall right… uh-oh!

    The wind gusted at the critical moment and the jacket sailed behind Mike, where he didn't notice. What else did she have to drop? Hannah glanced down at the bag of cupcakes. They'd have to do. She held one out the window and dropped it, but it fell short of the mark. She corrected her drop with the next one and she came a lot closer. One more and she should have it.

    Hannah let out a whoop as the cupcake bonked Mike on the top of his head and bounced away. Ted said something and Hannah could see Mike smile and nod. Even though she was too far away to hear, Hannah could imagine the conversation. Ted had said, Really windy tonight, huh? And Mike had replied, That's a fact. For a second there, I thought someone was throwing things at me.

    There was one thing Hannah knew for sure. If Mike left without looking up, her goose was cooked… or rather, pressed. She dropped the final cupcake and it hit Mike hard. Then she yelled for all she was worth and Mike looked up. But just as he figured it out, Ted jumped him.

    Hannah's anguished cry reached no one's ears except her own. The man who was trying to save her was now in trouble. But what could she do to help him from a car that was suspended in the air?

    Hannah thought fast. The Cadillac was stripped. There was nothing loose inside that she could throw. But she still had her boots and they might do some damage if she dropped them from this height. Hannah quickly removed them and dangled one out the window. Then she looked down to aim.

    Ted was on top of Mike, fighting for the upper hand, when Hannah dropped her boot. It landed on Ted's shoulder and he shrugged it off, but that minor distraction gave Mike just enough time to gain the advantage and roll over on top. Hannah was watching with her heart in her throat when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Bill and Norman were here and they were rushing to Mike's aid.

    Hannah gave a huge sigh of relief. That had been close. As Bill helped Mike subdue Ted and cuff him, Hannah raised both hands and clasped them in a victory salute. And then the Cadillac began to lower, inch by inch, foot by foot, with a squeal of steel cables. Since Bill and Mike were still busy taking Ted into custody, Hannah knew that Norman had found the proper lever to lower the car.

    When the wheels of the Cadillac touched the ground, Hannah didn't waste any time climbing out of the car. Her knees were shaking, she was missing a boot, and her jacket was long gone. Her hands were smeared with chocolate, but when she saw Ted sitting in the back of the cruiser, a huge smile spread over her face. The good guys had won again.

    Once her boot was back on her foot and Norman had found her jacket, Hannah was full of questions for Mike. 'How did you know I was out here?'

    'You'll answer my questions first,' Mike ordered, grabbing her by the arm. 'Did you know that car was headed for the crusher?'

    Hannah was about to say something nasty about his highhanded attitude when she realized that his hand was shaking. Mike had been so terrified for her that he was still trembling. That fact that Mike was shaking made her start to tremble a bit, too. 'I knew it where it was headed,' she admitted in a small voice, 'and I would have ended up there if you hadn't shown up.'

    'Attempted murder?' Mike asked, still hanging onto her arm as if he never wanted to let her go.

    'That's right.'

    'Because you figured out that Ted killed Sheriff Grant?'

    Hannah hesitated. This was her chance to let Mike save face. '*I wasn't really sure he'd done it until he took off after me.'

    'And that was when you put the pieces together?'

    Hannah nodded. In a way it was true. She hadn't known, for certain, until Ted had started whacking that tire iron against his palm. 'My turn. Why did you come out here?'

    'Lonnie called to tell me about the stolen car report and I came out here to ask Ted some questions about the cars he used for salvage. I had no idea that you were here or that you were in danger.'

    Hannah turned to Norman, who was standing next to Bill. 'Why are you here?'

    'I drove out to the sheriff's station to get some dental claim forms. I was just talking to Bill when Andrea called to ask if you were there and to say that you were late to pick up Tracey.'

    Hannah gave Norman a warm smile for catching on and not mentioning their investigation, and then she turned to Bill. 'And Andrea told you she'd sent me out here to pick up the taillight for you?'

    'That's right. When I couldn't get Ted on the phone, Norman and I drove out here.'

    'Good thing you did,' Hannah said, glancing over at Mike. 'Right, Mike?'

    'That's right. I would have gotten him cuffed by myself eventually, but it was a lot easier this way. What evidence do you have for me, Hannah?'

    'There's a tire iron on the counter in the office. It might be the murder weapon and you'll probably want to test it for traces of blood. And you'd better call Clara and Marguerite Hollenbeck right away and tell them not to remove that stain on Krista's party dress. It could be Sheriff Grant's blood.'

    'Anything else?' Mike fought to keep the pleasant expression on his face and Hannah knew he hated to ask her for advice.

    'Just one thing. I think Ted was running a stolen car ring and a chop shop, but I wasn't able to find anything to confirm that.'

    'We'll find it,' Mike said. He looked less aggravated and Hannah knew she'd scored some points. Of course she could tell him exactly where to find the parts list for the man in Minneapolis and the bill of lading for the stolen cars, but she'd let him do it on his own. As Mike was so fond of saying, he was the law enforcement specialist, not her.

    'It's after eight,' Norman said after a quick glance at his watch. 'If Mike and Bill don't need us, let's go get Tracey and take her to the Haunted Basement.'

    'I'll call Andrea and tell her you're on the way,' Bill said, and then he turned to glance at Mike. 'That's okay, isn't it?'

    Mike nodded. He was obviously in the mood to be magnanimous, now that Sheriff Grant's killer was in custody. 'Sure. Go ahead and do the Halloween thing with the kids. You can drop by the station when you're through and give us your statements.'

    'Your car, or mine?' Norman asked, walking with Hannah toward the office.

    'Both. You go pick up Tracey and Karen and take them to the Haunted Basement. I'll run home to feed Moishe and join you there with the Corn Cookies for the party.'

    'Okay,' Norman said, stepping forward to open the door of Hannah's truck. 'Too bad I didn't bring a costume.'

    Hannah climbed in the driver's seat and reached in the back for her minimal costume. 'I've got one you can use. I'll pick up another old sheet at the condo and come as a ghost.'

    'Cornflakes?' Norman looked puzzled as he accepted the box, but he started to laugh the moment she handed him the plastic knife. 'This is just great, Hannah.'

    Hannah's eyes widened. If Norman had caught on to her visual pun, he'd be the first person in Lake Eden who had. And then Hannah remembered what Beatrice had said about Doctor Love and how romantic partners should share similar senses of humor. 'Do you know what it is?'

    'Sure,' Norman said, grinning at her. 'It's just brilliant, Hannah. I've worn a lot of Halloween costumes over the years, but I've never been a cereal killer before.'

Chapter Thirty-One

    It was seven o'clock on election night when Hannah emerged from her bedroom. She was wearing the new